This week we are making photo frames, these are perfect to celebrate a specific event or special photo.
To make these we’re going to need foam sheets, often called craft foam, you can get them in many different colours, I got them from hobby craft where a pack is about £2. There will be a few crafts in this series that will use these foam sheets, so if you have any offcuts or weirdly sized pieces, keep them safe as they will come in handy later.
When making the photos frames, there is a lot of potential variation depending on the size of the photograph you’re using. The best way to get the right size for the photo is to use a scrap piece of paper larger than the photo. Draw around the photo, then add 2.5cm (1 inch, for oldies) to the outside of the rectangle. Then add 1.25cm (½ inch) to the inside of the first drawn line. This will make sure that the photo stays inside the frame.
Now you should have a piece of paper with 3 rectangles drawn into. Cut out the inside square, and around the outside square. This will now be the size of the frame.
If you are using a polaroid style photo then you will need to draw the inside line differently, as they have an uneven border, so add the excess border on the correct side, including the edge to give it the overlap.
Materials:
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Foam sheets, various colours
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Low tack tape - washi tape or masking tape.
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Tacky Glue
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Photo
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Scrap paper
Tools:
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Scissors
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pen/pencil
Instructions:
Step 1 - Creating the Template
The first step is to create the image template, this means that it needs to be sized correctly, which I talk about above. Once you’ve got the scrap paper template you are ready to start designing the photo frame.
Step 2 - Decorating the photo frame
Now that the template is drawn up we can design the decorations for the photo frame. Depending on what the photo is, it can dictate what you use to decorate the frame itself. For example the photo of my cat Winnie is one I will be using, so I am going to use cat themed decorations and put her name on it. If it was a birthday celebration you could create a little cake, age numbers, and mini presents. There are so many options to what you could put on the frame!
The reason we need the size of the frame is because we need to scale the decorations. How I worked out the size and scale is just doodling simple ideas on the template itself, until I was happy with the design.
Step 3 - Creating the frame
Taking the paper template, we will be using it to create the front and the back of the frame. Following the outside line on the template draw around onto the foam - use pencil as pen might smudge and colour the foam. Then cut it out, this will be the back piece of the frame.
Now using the same colour foam draw around the outside line of the template and the inside line of the template. This is going to be the front piece of the frame, so cut it out around the outside then cut out the inside square that we have drawn. The two pieces will now match in size with one having a window for the photo.
Step 4 - Gluing the frame
To make the basic frame before we can get decorating we need to glue the frame together. Apply a line of glue just inside the edge of the back piece, this will need to be a thin line of glue otherwise it will close the frame too much for the photo to fit. Put the top of the frame on the back piece making sure that they line up, then place a heavy book on the top so that it weighs it down whilst it dries. Remember to leave one edge without glue otherwise we wont be able to get the photo in!
Let that dry for a few hours, try not to move it until the frame is stuck together.
Step 5 - Making the decorations
Using the sketches on the template we can start on the decorations for the frame. If you aren't confident on drawing straight on to the foam you can use scrap paper, or even cut out the sketches from the template. These will be very helpful when making the mini images as the decorations, as we’re going to be using multiple colours to create an image.
My top tip for deciding how to show the decorations is to think of the areas as block colours. For example a cupcake has two main parts: the paper and the icing. These two parts are going to be two different colours, any details can be added on after, I will be using this cupcake as an example on how to create a single decoration so that it’s easy to follow.
Cut the template out including the sections that will be different colours out, then cut the sections out of the foam sheets.
To glue them together take a piece of low tack tape, sticky side up on a flat surface, place the first piece on the tape placing a line of glue on the joining area. Place the other piece on the tape so that it’s in its correct position joined together. Place another piece of tape on the top so that it's held in place.
Repeat this process for any of the decoration pieces that you want to include. As these pieces are just the base for the decorations, we can detail them later once they're glued together.
Let them dry for a few hours, these will need to be completely dry before you take the tape off otherwise it could separate the pieces.
Step 6 - Detailing the decorations
Once the base of the decorations are dried and stuck together, remove the tape as now we can add the detailing which will make the decorations pop.
Continuing with the cupcake example, the detailing I want to add are the sprinkles and definition in the paper cup. For these I cut very thin strips of the foam (this is where we can use up some scraps) then cut them up very small to make the sprinkles. Putting a thin layer of glue over the icing, then we can add the coloured sprinkles on the top. Then we can do the same by placing a thin line of glue for each of the paper cup details. If you have any pieces hanging off as an excess then leave them for now as cutting them before they're dry can cause them to shift.
Let those pieces dry then you can trim them up.
Step 7 - Putting it all together
With all the pieces ready to be put together, place the photo in the frame, this is so we can see the exact places we’re putting the decorations in relation to the photo. Apply the glue on the back of the decoration pieces then place them on the frame. Once everything is in the correct place, secure it down by placing a heavy book on top. Leave this to dry for a while.
Step 8 - Admire your work!
Now the photo frame is all dry it's ready to be displayed!
Whether you hang it on the wall, put it on a shelf or give it to a friend, this cute little photo frame is a celebration of the memory itself.
I made a few different variations of this photoframe because I couldn't decide which pictures to use, so here are the ones I made as inspiration for you!
I hope you had fun and have created something really special. If you have created a photo frame or any of the crafts, I would love to see them!
Send them to me on Instagram, email or facebook @/worldofthoodles
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